WAILUKU, Maui — When Robyn Crozier was diagnosed with colon cancer four years ago, she wanted "to fight it with everything I got."

The 44-year-old mother of three said she didn't hesitate to sign up for a clinical trial of a new drug treatment offered by the Cancer Research Center of Hawai'i. She is now cancer-free and although data are still being analyzed to determine whether the new treatment contributed to her recovery, Crozier encourages other cancer patients to consider clinical trials to improve their chances of survival and help future patients.

Crozier is one of only 20 Neighbor Islanders — all from Maui — who have been able to take advantage of the newest drugs and cancer therapies as a participant in Cancer Research Center clinical trials.

That number is expected to grow with the hiring of a Maui-based clinical research associate whose position is being funded by a 2006 increase in the state's cigarette tax.

Dr. Carl-Wilhelm Vogel, director of the Cancer Research Center, said the soon-to-be-hired associate will make the process of participating in research treatments easier for patients and researchers.

Only 2.5 percent of the state's cancer patients enroll in clinical trials, a much lower percentage than elsewhere, according to Vogel. He said he'd like to see that increase to 10 percent, and enabling more Neighbor Island participation is one way to make that happen.

Patients enroll in clinical trials through their oncologist. On Maui, there has been limited access to trials through Maui oncologist Dr. William Adler and Dr. Ian Okazaki, who commutes twice a week from Straub Clinic and Hospital in Honolulu. The clinical research associate, who will be based at Maui Memorial Medical Center, will be available to support them and other oncologists on Maui and elsewhere in the state who are interested in having their patients participate in clinical trials.

The associate will evaluate patients for eligibility to participate in clinical trials, support doctors in the conduct of the trials, and collect and monitor patient data for quality purposes.

The Cancer Research Center of Hawai'i, part of the University of Hawai'i, is one of 63 National Cancer Institute-designated cancer centers in the United States. It conducts cancer research, educational activities and community outreach, including the operation of the Hawai'i Tumor Registry, the Clinical Trials Unit and the Cancer Information Service of Hawai'i.

Okazaki said clinical trials are an important part of cancer care and advance the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of cancer. "Many new drugs are being developed fairly quickly and clinical trials are a way to make these new agents available, especially to patients with difficult-to-treat cancers," he said.

Clinical trials currently available in Hawai'i include a study comparing two different chemotherapy and radiation regimes in treating patients who have undergone surgery for stomach or esophageal cancer. Another is comparing a trio of drugs in treating postmenopausal women who are undergoing surgery for stage II or stage III breast cancer.